Principles of Social Psychology
Copyright Year: 2015
ISBN 13: 9781946135209
Publisher: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing
Language: English
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Reviews
The text provides adequate coverage of the fundamental topics of an introductory course in social psychology. The topics covered are equivalent to those covered in other textbooks. The text does not, however, include an index or glossary. Key... read more
The text provides adequate coverage of the fundamental topics of an introductory course in social psychology. The topics covered are equivalent to those covered in other textbooks. The text does not, however, include an index or glossary. Key terms appear in bold within the text along with their definitions.
The content is accurate in that it is supported with citations of research studies. At times, it seemed that there was a bias towards evolutionary explanations for social behavior. This is surprising given that social psychology focuses on proximal causes and the power of the situation rather than more distal causes.
The table that showed the heritability of attitudes lacked any discussion of how heritability coefficients are computed. Heritability coefficients have been critiqued on both methodological and conceptual grounds.
In terms of the fundamental content of a social psyc text, it up to date--the relevant topics are covered . In many cases, so-called "classic studies" that are foundational to the field are featured. The classic study can be used as the base for discussing more recent research. The way that the text is arranged would make it easy to update. However, I did not see citations of research published within the last 10 years--it may be time for an update. In at least one instance, a 2001 meta-analysis was referred to as 'recent.' Whereas different people have different definitions of 'recent,' it is likely that college students will not see a study that was conducted the year they were born as 'recent.' The chapter on persuasion uses the Obama 2008 campaign as an opening example. More recent elections could be used.
The text could be brought up to date by incorporating examples from contemporary culture to apply course concepts (e.g., political party differences in the acceptance of masking and COVID-19 vaccines; the "Me too Movement' and the "Black Lives Matter Movement" and climate change). Social psychology can be applied to these examples to help students think more critically about their social world. In particular, the discussion of the commons dilemma could be significantly enhanced by greater attention to global climate change. The text makes a passing reference to climate change, but this is a central issue for Generation Z.
In terms of appearing out of date, the text adheres to the gender binary (discussing gender differences--or differences between men and women). Many millennials and members of Gen Z are attuned to viewing gender in a nonbinary fashion. While research on gender diverse persons may lag, these issues are still important to acknowledge.
The reading level of the text is appropriate for an undergraduate audience. Key terms are adequately defined.
The text is consistent. Each chapter has a similar structure which facilitates readability due to knowing what to expect in terms of chapter organization.
The text is easy to read. It is organized into subsections (even within chapters) that have their own reference section. This would make it easy to reorganize the material.
The text follows the standard organization of introductory level social psychology courses.
The images and figures are clear and easy to navigate. Hyperlinks within the text to videos are a nice touch (although the link to the video on emotions did not work). The inclusion of 'learning objectives' and 'key takeaways' as well as the sections that encourage readers to 'think like a social psychologist' are features of the interface that encourage the reader to actively engage with the text, not just absorb it passively. The inclusion of basic power point slides for each chapter is a benefit for instructors who may be teaching the course for the first time by providing them a foundation upon which to build and add their own content and examples.
I did not notice any grammatical errors.
See comments above about the gender binary when discussing gender differences
Generally speaking, I think the text is adequate--it would provide a foundation in the basic content relevant to an introductory course in social psychology. However, I do think the text could be improved by an update that includes references to more recent research and carefully considers the likely audience for the text (college students) and uses contemporary issues to engage them.
The book covers all the basic concepts that are appropriate for a lower-level psychology course focused on social psychology. read more
The book covers all the basic concepts that are appropriate for a lower-level psychology course focused on social psychology.
The book includes accurate information, but if I were using this book I would need to supplement the book to include more cultural influences as well as recent social changes related to gender identity.
This book has some more recent research but appears to focus on more seminal research in the field (as is typical of that introductory-level psychology textbooks), and easily could be supplemented.
Yes! This book is very reader friendly!
Yes, the book maintains internal consistency in terms of using the same terms for concepts throughout.
Yes! This book is great for identifying pertinent topics and information based on its modules within chapters.
This book follow a layout that is typical of how introductory textbooks in social psychology present topics moving from the individual to the group.
Text and images are easy to read.
The text is clearly, and 'cleanly,' written.
I did not see a cultural perspective emphasized, and this would need to be supplemented by the instructor.
Overall, I believe the book covers all areas and ideas about social psychology adequately. It does so in chunks of topics relates to the main topic of the chapter. This breakdown is essentially for describing the areas and ideas well. This format... read more
Overall, I believe the book covers all areas and ideas about social psychology adequately. It does so in chunks of topics relates to the main topic of the chapter. This breakdown is essentially for describing the areas and ideas well. This format also gets the "main idea" of the section clear to students so there is no question about what materials are being covered. One area that I believe the book could improve on is discussing culture and diversity in relation to the topics being covered. For example, there is not much discussion of how culture might impact attributions in the attribution theory section of the textbook. It is important for students to understand how the topics in social psychology are embedded within a cultural context. I also believe that the section on reducing prejudice should be revamped to be more current. There are more details needed about programs implemented that help to reduce prejudice and more broadly what we can do as a society (specifically at the individual level) can do to reduce prejudice and to promote a world with justice, equity, inclusion, and dignity of all people.
Overall, the book is accurate and error-free. I also believe, at least overall, that it is unbiased. I did not feel that one topic was discussed in more detail than another, even though the other topic needed just as much discussion. There was a lot of balance in terms of discussion given to each of the topics. Research supporting statements and other information covered in the book were also provided. I did not perceive any gaps where information was provided but no sources were provided. Even controversies within social psychology included various sources. The textbook also has a section after chapters on "Exercises and Critical Thinking". I thought these might be a bit biased but they were not and allowed students to address/confront their own limitations in their thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. This is a challenge often with social psychology - there are students with various perspectives and world experiences and sometimes textbooks in social psychology can come off as "preachy", according to students' perspectives.
The book, for the most part, contains up-to-date information. It is a bit on the dated side in terms of when it was published. There is new research daily that might be important for the textbook. For example, more up-to-date information about programs to reduce prejudice as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social psychology principles. It seems as if the textbook has not been updated recently and I'm uncertain how it might be updated in the future. This is unfortunate because social psychology is a dynamic field, and information and research changes very frequently. Students might come away from the textbook with out-of-date information. There are definitely updates needed to the textbook to keep it relevant to current times.
The book is very clear on all the topics it describes. If jargon or technical terminology is used, the authors do a good job of explaining and defining these terms and concepts. Another aspect of the book that is great is the amount of examples offered. If a topic is covered, like on the authority in cults, the textbook provides an example of a cult that has been studied by social psychology. The textbook also presents case studies to highlight specific topics as well. Students do well with case studies and are better able to apply the content of the case to the content of the textbook. Overall, the book presents a balanced context for understanding the concepts without being overly technical and confusing to students. It "holds students' hands" when describing complex concepts.
I did not find anything in the textbook that is inconsistent. Terminologies used are consistent throughout the textbook, and any alternative terminologies that might be used in the social psychology literature are also provided.
The modularity is the best portion of the textbook. It is divisible into smaller reading sections as specific topics. There is not an enormous amount of text without any context or labeling. If there is a lot of text to be covered, there are often even subsections within that text. It is also possible to get into any section within the textbook without previous context. The frequent labeling makes this possible. This is good for students who might be reading sections at a time and might have a time delay between reading various sections. The frequent labeling also helps make it easier for students to find concepts they might have forgotten or might be in learning materials. Sometimes text can get overly wordy and it makes it tough for students to find information that they might need for a test or assignment.
Overall, I think the chapter organization is clear, along with the subsections within the topics in the text as well. There are only two topics that I think should be covered close to each other. It is the "Self" and "Perceiving Others" sections. They are separate by another chapter. Most textbooks and how I would prefer to teach these chapters is close to each other; for me, understanding the self informs our understanding of others. However, it might not be too much of a big deal that they are separated by one chapter.
I used an older computer to navigate the textbook. I did not find any issues with interface; there were no navigation problems, issues with images/chats, or with videos. The only thing that might be somewhat confusing is how the videos are displayed. At first, it looks like the video did not load but if one reads it is clear that one might click on the link to view the videos. It might be a bit more helpful to have the videos embedded within the context so that readers see the video link.
I did not identify any grammatical errors. I also did not find any sentence structure errors either.
I commented on this prior, but I will elaborate more here. Social psychology is embedded within society and so culture and diversity of important. I feel like that textbook could use some revision that highlights these differences. There are examples provided about races and ethnicities, but more is needed, especially in the reducing prejudice section and on attribution theory (and aggression and other topics as well). Another concern that I have is that races and ethnicities are mentioned, as well as gender, but other diversity-related matters are not (i.e., ableism).
Overall, I do recommend this textbook. I do think it needs to be updated, though, as the publication date is around 2010 with the original content. Faculty might need to provide other materials to supplement the 11 year old literature.
The Principles of Social Psychology textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the principles and theories related to the study of social psychology. The 13 book chapters cover the following topics: Introducing Social Psychology (Chapter 1),... read more
The Principles of Social Psychology textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the principles and theories related to the study of social psychology. The 13 book chapters cover the following topics: Introducing Social Psychology (Chapter 1), Social Learning and Social Cognition (Chapter 2), Social Affect (Chapter 3), The Self (Chapter 4), Attitudes, Behavior, and Persuasion (Chapter 5); Perceiving Others (Chapter 6), Influencing and Conforming (Chapter 7), Liking and Loving (Chapter 8), Helping and Altruism (Chapter 9), Aggression (Chapter 10), Working Groups: Performance and Decision Making (Chapter 11), Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination (Chapter 12); and Competition and Cooperation in Our Social Worlds (Chapter 13). These topics reflect standard topics covered in a typical social psychology class.
The textbook does a good job of presenting complex topics accurately and in understandable terms with helpful illustrations. The coverage of research and associated illustrative examples in each chapter is both appropriate and topic relevant. For example, in section 1.3 “Conducting Research in Social Psychology” of the textbook, it is important to present and give examples of how to “operationally define” social behaviors when conducting research in social psychology because this is a step that new researchers have to learn. Some chapters contain research that would benefit from updated citations (e.g., last five years of research).
The content presented in each chapter is relevant to what would be covered in a typical social psychology course. Further, the design of the chapters creates an effective “scaffolding” of topic-relevant knowledge building within and across chapters. For example, in Chapter 11's “Working Groups: Performance and Decision Making,” concepts about internal factors and processes related to cognitive processes logically transition to more expanded and external processes and outcomes (e.g., the manifestation of groupthink as an observable social behavior).
The design of the textbook's chapters is clear in terms of its content and learning objectives for the students. The text is presented in accessible and comprehensible language. Further, the author offers a clear context for introduced terminology and concepts to support clarity and understanding. At the beginning of sections within a chapter, learning objectives are offered to help the student focus on achieving the learning goals. The textbook does a good job of helping the student learner apply learned content by offering chapter elements of “Research Focus.” “Key Takeaways'' and “Exercises and Critical Thinking” boxes in chapters’ sections. References are provided for students to look up the research presented in each section. Finally, the author offers a helpful chapter summary at the end of each chapter. Although presenting rather complex topics related to social psychology, the author conveys the theories and concepts clearly and understandably. For example, in Chapter 10, the complex and critical factors underlying human aggression starts with a real-world incident and then covers a variety of topics ranging from the “internal” influence of hormones to “external” environmental factors of social reinforcement and role modeling (e.g., Bandura’s social cognitive theory) are explained clearly with supporting examples and images.
An important characteristic of this book is that it offers a consistently structured reading experience for students to provide learning objectives through applied activities to reinforce reading concepts further. Further, the textbook presents relevant and supportive images and illustrations to supplement written content across the chapters. It might be helpful to start each chapter with an overview of learning objectives for the entire chapter and have a summative applied activity (e.g., discussion questions or an online activity) after the chapter summary. A major strength is that the textbook is written in tone and terminology that is consistent and appropriate for an undergraduate student audience. The chapters contain content that is consistently and logically presented to build knowledge, integrating the previously-mentioned support of learning objectives and applied to learning activities.
The book's sections are independent units that can be easily assigned as separate reading assignments in a course. This textbook design offers great flexibility for instructors in their course design and textbook utilization.
The book is well-organized, logical in its sequencing of chapters and section topics within the chapters, well-written in both content and tone, and presents relevant information for studying social psychology. It is helpful that the author provides a list of references for each chapter section.
There are no apparent interface issues with the textbook.
There are no apparent grammatical issues with the textbook.
The textbook has no indications of cultural insensitivity or offensiveness in content. It would be great if there were more examples incorporating inclusivity of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
It is great that each chapter starts with a real-world example that focuses on the topics to be covered (e.g., having the opening textbox of “How the Obama Campaign Effectively Used Persuasion to Defeat John McCain” in Chapter 5, which focuses on attitudes, behavior, and persuasion. The only caution is that these social media examples can become outdated over time. Although the textbook does a great job in covering content for teaching a course in social psychology, it would be helpful if it offered available links to review the test item bank and PowerPoint slides. On p. 597, there are “prompts” for linkages, but the actual links are not there.
This text provides a comprehensive overview into the field of social psychology. It introduced each area I was hoping to cover in my course. read more
This text provides a comprehensive overview into the field of social psychology. It introduced each area I was hoping to cover in my course.
I've not discovered any errors in the text.
The text is slightly older than what I was looking for with a 2015 republishing date. Despite this, I did not find this to be a limitation.
The text is clear and easy to read. Each section is broken up well.
The presentation of the text remains consistent and easy to follow throughout.
The modularity of the text was consistent with what I would expect to find in most standard textbooks.
The chapters flow in a logical manner. When developing my course, I assigned the chapters sequentially in the same fashion as the authors.
There were no issues or concerns found with the interface of the text.
The text was free of grammatical errors.
The text is culturally sensitive and provides examples from multiple backgrounds and perspectives.
The textbook covers a broad range of topics and addresses the core components of social psychology. There's no index or glossary but I don't see this as a big problem because terms can be searched in electronic textbooks. read more
The textbook covers a broad range of topics and addresses the core components of social psychology. There's no index or glossary but I don't see this as a big problem because terms can be searched in electronic textbooks.
Overall, the content is accurate. There were some issues discussed that I think could be improved by including more research from multiple perspectives, such as the section on media and aggression.
Much of the research discussed are from older studies. Many times using older, classic studies is fine, but I do think the book would benefit from adding in more recent research. Also, many of the real-world examples are old. I think the book could be easily updated by replacing the real-world examples and the "Research Focus" sections with more recent content.
The textbook is well-written. It's breaks down key terms and concepts in a way that I think students will be able to more easily understand than some other textbooks I've used. The author frequently uses tables and images to demonstrate concepts, which was helpful.
The approach to social psychology is consistent throughout the book. At the start of the book, the author discusses affect, behavior, and cognition (ABCs) and then ties this into each chapter. It's also helpful that the author clearly defines key terms in each chapter, even if they've been defined in a previous chapter, so that instructors could pick and chose chapters from this book without it impacting student learning.
The author breaks each chapter up into several subsections, and uses multiple subheadings within those. Instructors could easily reorganize content to fit with the structure of their course.
The order of the chapters and the content within each chapter are presented in a logical fashion.
Overall, the interface is fine. However, some of the videos weren't great quality.
There were just a few errors in the book.
The textbook does touch on culture more than some of the other social psychology textbooks I've read. However, I think that greater representation of different races and backgrounds in the photos would be useful. Additionally, changing "he or she" to "they" to match the new APA recommendations and be more inclusive would be a simple way to improve the book.
For a psychology textbook, I would rate comprehensiveness at a 5. However, as a sociological social psychology or interdisciplinary text, the book disappoints. Discussion of symbolic interactionism is a glaring oversight; there is not even a nod... read more
For a psychology textbook, I would rate comprehensiveness at a 5. However, as a sociological social psychology or interdisciplinary text, the book disappoints. Discussion of symbolic interactionism is a glaring oversight; there is not even a nod to Cooley or Mead in the chapter on the self. To be fair, I would almost certainly be unsatisfied with any social psychology text that isn't interdisciplinary; however, most are looking for a psychology text, and this fits that bill quite well.
It is, of course, nowhere near as comprehensive within each chapter as a 400-page textbook would be, but it does a nice job of hitting key points, summarizing key studies, and providing images when instructive. I would consider this text to be at a 100- or 200-level, not well suited to an upper-division course, which would need to get deeper into each subtopic and discuss a wider range of relevant research in more detail.
I found the information presented to be accurate as of 2010; I did not find any terms that were misused or other such errors. The lack of detail in a shorter text like this can sometimes result in factually correct but misleading information. With a rather cursory discussion, the space is lacking to bring intersectionality into the picture, and while a claim may be true for a gender sample of the population, a particular finding may be null or even reversed for some sub-populations. The text misses these, but if brevity is a virtue, it is an unavoidable foible.
Disappointingly, the newest citation I could find was 2011 and the vast majority of the material summarized as pre-2005. Especially on such topics as gender identity, discrimination, and group behavior, I really think students need to be given access to the latest work, or at least work within the last several years. A decade is simply too long to let a textbook go stale.
First-year students should have no difficulty accessing this information. I would even be assigning the sections that get more biological (physiology of the nervous system, neuroscience of emotions, etc...) in my sociology courses without any expectation of prior knowledge.
The text uses the standard psychological lexicon. Some of the terms are outside of the sociological realm and would require a bit of additional explanation, but psychology students should find them familiar.
10I really like the organization of the chapters, though I do which it were divided into three or four larger sections, with the chapters as sub-sections. It helps students better identify the flow of the course (which, in this text, seems to approximate a micro-to-macro development).
Chapters are well-organized and visually easy to follow. There are introductions to each chapter, graphics and text boxes similar to a standard textbook, and chapter summaries. I particularly like the "think like a social psychologist" section in each chapter, which shows students how to apply what they've learned.
The textbook is more visually appealing than I expected from an OER, but less so than a standard text. One thing that made navigation more challenging is that, when you click on the title of a chapter, it shows you only the introduction/overview and does not automatically drop down the various sections of the chapter. I can easily see a couple handfuls of students going into the first quiz or two having just read the introduction, not realizing that they've missed 90% of the information.
It would also be nice if, at the end of a section, there were a "Next section" button that you could click to continue, rather than going back up to the table of context, clicking on the chapter drop down menu, and then clicking on the next section.
The writing was grammatically sound.
The text is sorely lacking in the inclusion of transgender and non-binary people and relevant issues. I realize that most research compares men to women or discusses results with respect to men and women, but it is important to communicate to students that, in these instances, "we don't yet have substantial data on how a given theory would apply to non-binary people," or "we don't have sufficient research on how this process operates for transgender individuals." Of course, an effort must be made to include research on LGBTQIA+ people whenever possible, which had not been done here. Part of this is attributable to the textbook being a decade out of date, but even discussion of LGB people and issues is sporadic. As with most psychology texts, there is a clear bias toward a white, middle-class, able-bodies, heterosexual, Western set of mores and values. This may yet be an inescapable phenomenon for textbooks available in English, but this one really shows its age here. Unfortunately, I will not be using it purely on this basis.
The textbook is comprehensive and includes almost all of the topics that I would consider crucial for an undergraduate social psychology course. (See comments on relevance for further detail on additional helpful inclusions.) read more
The textbook is comprehensive and includes almost all of the topics that I would consider crucial for an undergraduate social psychology course. (See comments on relevance for further detail on additional helpful inclusions.)
The information presented is accurate and up to date. Research is presented in a way that is unbiased and not misleading.
The book contains many relevant examples, though an updated version would be beneficial. Additionally, there is no mention of the replication crisis and changes in regards to how the field views research and open scientific practices, which is a highly relevant topic, especially within the field of social psychology. This may be my own bias, but it would be helpful if these topics were included in future versions.
The book is written at a level that is accessible, appropriate, and engaging for college undergraduates.
The text is consistent in its presentation from chapter to chapter. Each chapter follows a similar format and structure, making the book feel highly organized and easy to follow.
The textbook is organized using a similar topic structure as most other texts. However, it is also easily subdivided into smaller sections as a result of the way the authors have laid it out. This is especially helpful when planning to break down larger sections into individual topics/class periods.
The organization of the chapters works well and meets the goal set by the author of moving from the individual level to social and group/cultural levels. There are some topics that I might consider teaching a bit later in the semester once students have covered the basics (e.g., social learning), but overall the organization makes sense and flows well.
The text was laid out nicely, and there were no apparent issues navigating through the text or viewing any of the images. However, some of the video links do not work properly unless copied and pasted directly into a browser.
The book is well written and contains few, if any, grammatical/typographical errors.
The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way, though it would benefit from a few more examples that spoke to a wider cultural/demographic base of students.
This textbook is comprehensive and well designed for use in an introductory social psychology course. The text is strong enough for use on its own, or to be used alongside supplemental journal articles and other outside sources. The writing and organization of the text make for an engaging and accessible read for college students, and I strongly recommend it.
This is a comprehensive textbook that that covers the primary topics that would be expected for an undergraduate social psychology course. read more
This is a comprehensive textbook that that covers the primary topics that would be expected for an undergraduate social psychology course.
The information covered in this textbook has been accurate and I don't have to worry that my students are reading about any topics or studies that are misleading.
The content is contemporary and contains the classic studies, along with examples that today's students can understand.
It is written at a level that is accessible to a range of students, so I don’t have to worry that it is too difficult or confusing. I had a student review it with me and she found it engaging and clearly written.
The chapters were similarly organized and maintained the same style of writing. The textbook had a good flow from one chapter to the next and did not feel disjointed.
The textbook is set up with typical chapters that you would find in an undergraduate social psychology textbook. Should an instructor want to, they could further break down the chapters into smaller chunks.
Everything was clearly laid out and easy to follow. The topics were presented in appropriate chapters and it was easy to search for the chapters, as well as within the chapters. The search tool was a nice option.
I didn't note any interface issues. Everything was laid out nicely.
The book was cleanly written. It was not full of distracting grammatical errors or misleading grammatical mistakes.
I did not note any offensive examples or language.
I was happy to find this as a comprehensive open social psychology textbook that I could use for my classes. It is written at a level that is accessible to a range of students, so I don’t have to worry that it is too difficult or confusing. I had a student review it with me and she found it engaging and clearly written. It covers all of the major topics. It may not be the best fit for a higher level social psychology class, but could be supplemented with additional materials, such as journal articles. One concern that I have, since I also want to be considerate of others that may need to teach the course, such as adjuncts, is the availability of support materials. There are open access slide decks and test banks that go along with each chapter of the textbook, available here https://psychologyexploration.weebly.com/principles-of-social-psychology-oer-ancillaries.html
This book clearly provides the key components and concepts that many social psychology textbooks cover. In comparing this book with other social psychology textbooks, it is just as comprehensive as most other textbooks. read more
This book clearly provides the key components and concepts that many social psychology textbooks cover. In comparing this book with other social psychology textbooks, it is just as comprehensive as most other textbooks.
This book appears to be accurate, and current within the field of social psychology. I did not see any glaring errors, or any significant bias.
While this book is very straightforward and engaging with the subject matter, several of the references used are very outdated. In understanding the theory behind the concepts, or a historically perspective of the concepts, material that is less current is applicable, but not when discussing current theories and perspectives. A more current edition would be helpful in the next couple of years.
The book's clarity is strong and well-designed. It is very reader-friendly and easy to navigate. The structure of each section lends itself to a good dialogue of the material. The opening story of each chapter is an excellent way to engage students in the material in a very practical sense.
This book is very consistent in the presentation of terms, concepts, theories, frameworks for understanding, etc. It follows a nice pattern that is duplicated throughout each chapter for ease of read, and for instructors to best utilize this book in their courses.
I enjoyed the chapters being broken down into different, distinct sections. While I assigned the entire chapter as reading, I planned my activities and assignments to include a graded item from each of the sections. By doing this I knew students were engaged in each of the sections, and for my planning as a professor, it worked very well. The addition of videos, and a substantive explanation of these videos, was also very helpful. I also appreciated the, "Thinking Like a Social Psychologist" sections in each chapter.
As previously mentioned, this book is engaging, easy to use and understand, and is very organized.
It does not appear that there are glaring issues with the interface except for two areas that are fairly consistent complaints from my students who interact with the open resources. First, depending on how the book is downloaded there may or may not be page numbers to list for in-text citations in their papers. Second, as with most open resources textbooks the author's name(s) are removed which makes citing the book difficult for some. A suggestion would be to have APA, MLA, etc., citations available for students.
I did not notice any grammar errors.
There were several intersections with culture and social psychology concepts. They were done well, and thoughtfully.
Overall, this is a great book. I have used it once in a Social and Ethical Psychology course, and will use it again.
Compared to the text I am currently using, I felt this text was very comprehensive. It covered what I consider the major content areas of the subject. Since it is in line with current texts used for social psychology, I feel it would be easily... read more
Compared to the text I am currently using, I felt this text was very comprehensive. It covered what I consider the major content areas of the subject. Since it is in line with current texts used for social psychology, I feel it would be easily adaptable to the course I am currently teaching. I believe it is exactly the right amount of information as well as the pertinent information for an introductory course.
In my opinion, the information presented was accurate and up to date. The information was supported by current research and was unbiased.
As stated in my feedback on comprehensiveness, I feel the information presented is relevant and covers the key or important concepts. I think it is great foundation to introducing social psychology. I love the Exercises for Critical Thinking. I enjoyed that the text provides opportunities for application to practice. It covered historical perspectives up to current content based on recent research.
The information was presented in a straightforward, clear, and concise manner. It was easy to following and flowed well from one chapter to the next. Terminology was consistent, appropriate for the content, and technical.
The text provided a consistent writing style and consistent theme. The layout throughout the text did not vary.
The divided subsections in each chapter were well organized and divided in a way that provided logical starting and stopping points in teaching content. It also allowed for the inclusion or exclusion of concepts without seeming like information was missing or would alter the flow of teaching the material.
I really enjoyed the break-up of sections included throughout the text including Learning Objectives, Thinking Like a Social Psychologist, Social Psychology in the Public, Key Takeaways, and Exercises in Critical Thinking. All of the information was presented in a logical, clear manner that began with basic information and graduated to application.
I did not encounter any interface issues. I had more difficulty navigating the text, but it is more likely user error since I am new to using online texts.
I did not notice any major grammatical errors. I did see minor errors including one instance where I noticed there was a lack of spacing between two separate words.
I felt the text was culturally considerate and inclusive. Cultural considerations were used throughout the text. I did not feel that any of the information was presented in offensive or insensitive manner.
I really like the selection of topics covered. read more
I really like the selection of topics covered.
As far as I know, the text is an accurate representation of the field of social psychology.
It is 2019, and the text still remains relevant. I do hope that a revised edition will be released in the next couple of years.
In general, the textbook is easy to read. However, students who are not very well prepared for college-level reading may find it slightly challenging.
In my reading of the text, I have not found inconsistencies in terminology.
Some sections seem to be very lengthy. Publishers might want to re-visit sub-sections.
When I teach the class, I like to use my own sequence of chapters. As a starting point, I prefer to distribute chapters into two categories. The first category focusses on the level of the individual (Chapters 2-3, 5, 8-10 fall neatly under modules called cognition, affect, and behavior; Chapter 4 helps to bring it all together under the umbrella of the self). The second category focusses on the social level with chapters 6, 7, and 11-13.
On rare occasions, students have had difficulties while using the book on their smartphones.
I spotted minor errors here and there.
The text is culturally sensitive. That said, I'd like to see a bigger focus on processes relevant to different racial groups and countries around the globe. For instance, the development of a sense of being black or African American could be woven into Chapter 4. Chapter 8 could cover integrate arranged marriages into discussions about love and commitment in relationships.
I teach at a historically black institution. Most of my students are first-generation college students from not very well-to-do backgrounds. I am really glad that a great, free textbook as yours is available to my students. Overall, I really like the book. Thanks a lot for doing such a wonderful job.
This textbook is a comprehensive Open Educational Resource for introductory social psychology courses covering most major areas and significant research. As noted by others, there is no glossary or index but the entire textbook is a searchable PDF... read more
This textbook is a comprehensive Open Educational Resource for introductory social psychology courses covering most major areas and significant research. As noted by others, there is no glossary or index but the entire textbook is a searchable PDF file. Professors and students can use smart phones, tablets, laptops, iPads, and computers to access this textbook. It can be uploaded to any learning management system and even emailed to individuals – at the best price possible for students, who may be struggling with the costs of higher education.
As noted above, the author has addressed most major areas and significant research in social psychology.
Please refer to the end comment.
The text is written in a straightforward style.
This text is internally consistent.
This text is divided into smaller sections with learning objectives and exercises for critical thinking. It also challenges students, specifically at the end of Chapters 2 - 13, to apply what they have learned to their own lives.
This textbook has a clear structure: each section has distinct learning objectives and key takeaways as well as questions at the end of each section to promote critical thinking. As noted above, “Thinking like a Social Psychologist” is also a valuable feature at the end of Chapters 2 – 13. These components will be very helpful for students and also professors, who are adopting an OER textbook without the usual ancillary materials and supplemental educational technology often available through publishing companies.
The few video links in the text are broken; this may be something easily fixed.
The text is well written.
The text includes social psychological research from around the world.
I would highly encourage adding a chapter on sustainability. This is a critical interdisciplinary area in psychology today: leveraging psychological research and principles to understand human behavior and to motivate and empower individuals to seek innovative solutions for sustainability. The survival of our global community depends on worldwide action.
I have adopted this textbook for my social psychology classes; I will add a few texts and videos on sustainability to complete the course.
This is a very comprehensive textbook that includes not only the essential topics in social psychology (attitudes, persuasion, prosocial behavior, prejudice), but a good overview of the history of social psychology and various theoretical... read more
This is a very comprehensive textbook that includes not only the essential topics in social psychology (attitudes, persuasion, prosocial behavior, prejudice), but a good overview of the history of social psychology and various theoretical perspectives. There are even sections toward the end regarding how social psych research can be applied to understand morality and improve cooperation. The only topic lacking that I normally teach in this course is political psychology (i.e. the psychology of liberalism and conservatism).
The content is accurate and unbiased. Stangor does a fine job in presenting research based evidence without an agenda, which is more than can be said for other textbook authors in this field. Of course, some may question the robustness of certain research findings (e.g., Bargh et al., 1996) given recent replication attempts, but Stangor presents the research in a highly accurate way.
This is an issue that plagues all textbooks. None are good enough (IMHO) to have strong longevity, unless they are in a Wikipedia format with editable entries. Stangor's book is like the norm--it's up to date but as new findings emerge, there will need to be some revisions. Most of the historical stuff (e.g., the Milgram studies) won't change.
The book is very clear and free of technical jargon. There is no doubt that intelligent undergraduates will be able to follow the material presented here.
There is a high level of consistency. At the beginning, Stangor frames the discussion of social psych principles in terms of the ABCs -- affect, behavior, and cognition. Then he revisits this theme throughout the text, making terms consistent and within this general framework.
Modularity is good here. There are plenty of logical sub-sections in each unit (five per chapter).
The topics are clear. Typically in a social psych course, the basics are presented first regarding social perception, context, the self/situation, etc. and then progress to more applied, specific topics such as aggression/altruism, relationships, groups, etc. This textbook follows that basic organization.
There are no interface issues.
Grammar is fine as far as I can tell.
There is a good discussion of culture throughout the book, with specific attention to how norms and trends are different across the world. There are no cultural insensitivities, nor anything offensive.
If you're thinking about adopting an open-access textbook, rest assured this book is a worthy substitute for any traditional textbook in terms of quality and comprehensiveness. Strongly recommended.
Social psychology is a vast interdisciplinary enterprise making any attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the research a daunting task. The author wisely identifies and takes on a small slice of the field, the interactionist perspective.... read more
Social psychology is a vast interdisciplinary enterprise making any attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the research a daunting task. The author wisely identifies and takes on a small slice of the field, the interactionist perspective. The text is an interesting read, made coherent through the repetitive frame of self/other concern. For the advanced scholar the text serves the author’s desire for engaged and critical thinking when imagining alternative arguments and pieces of research to include. However, as an introduction to the subject, I found the text lacking in both depth and breadth. A claim to present a view of the discipline as seen through the eyes of a European Experimental Social Psychologist would better set the reader’s expectations. Read alongside companion texts, for example the Symbolic Interactionist Approach presented by Kent Sandstrom and his colleagues in Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality could spark critical thinking about embedded psychological versus sociological assumptions. Alternatively students might critique the view presented in this text, it’s comparative advantages and disadvantages, after a read of Social Psychology and Everyday Life by Darrin Hodgetts and his colleagues in Australia.
Obviously it is easier to read and critique a text than to write one! The author(s) have provided a wonderful service by creating this text as a start to a fuller conversation. If read as a Wikipedia project the text succeeds in providing a rich and coherent spine on to which many authors could connect and expand upon presented themes. For example the important work of G. Maruyama could be tucked into the discussion of minority influence. Addressing small-group interaction in cooperative and competitive contexts allows for the inclusion of Elizabeth Cohen, Stuart Cook, Robert Slavin, Dean Tjosvold, etc. To facilitate the collaborative writing some stand-alone application chapters would allow more depth around issues of particular interest to the reader. The inclusion of both an author and subject index at the end of each chapter would greatly facilitate locating and building on existing themes and references.
No errors other than omission were noted.
This social cognitive approach to social psychology is of relevance both as an historic touchstone and a path to current work in neuroscience. As noted above the interrelated themes provided in the text’s narrative could provide a basis for elaborative writing for years to come.
The author’s style of writing makes principles of social psychology and related concepts easily accessible.
The layout of the text and conceptual framework introduced in the preface and first chapter provide a repetitive form in the provision of content that is utilized in a consistent manner. A professional in graphic design could help the author make better use of typographic conventions. Most problematic are the links. They possess quotation marks (a very odd practice) and are highlighted in “Minnesota Red,” (the same color used to highlight vocabulary terms). While the links take one to a given chart or figure, clicking vocabulary terms does nothing. Photos are linked to flicker pages but no new information is provided. In short, three separate actions are associated with one color, providing frustration for the user. Captions would be more accessible if line spacing was a bit tighter, and caption text set flush left.
The initial table of contents provides an easy reference for dividing the text. The consistent conceptual layout provides coherence even if chapters were to be shuffled.
The consistent layout, with easily identified learning objectives and introductory paragraph, text body, thinking like a social psychologist and social psychology in the public interest sections, chapter summary, key takeaways, exercises and critical thinking, and chapter references flow smoothly.
Previous reviewers have addressed this topic in some detail. I would add, while red may be the publishers branding, it is a poor choice for individuals who have issues in perceiving color. Blue rarely is such a problem and seems more appropriate for hyperlinks.
No errors in grammar were noted
For a text in social psychology, the lack of sophistication regarding intersectionality is troubling. Within the social cognitive perspective chosen for review, Carolyn Sherif’s depiction of the social situation provides an historic introduction to the idea that each setting is infused with cultural meanings. While national and ethnic identities are important topics there is much more to be said about the meaning of culture.
Given the author’s affiliation with APA, I was surprised when a search for Carolyn Sherif came up empty. Her dismay over social psychology’s drift into marketing polls, paying too little attention to realistic intergroup relations, seems relevant when reflecting on current journalism and our news media. Her discussion of ethics in research, regarding the too often perceived need to deceive, would also benefit a future generation of social psychologists.
I do believe that this text covers all the major areas of social psychology, and all the content that I would teach in a related course. I even think it goes a little beyond. To my knowledge, this is the first time I have seen a text that includes... read more
I do believe that this text covers all the major areas of social psychology, and all the content that I would teach in a related course. I even think it goes a little beyond. To my knowledge, this is the first time I have seen a text that includes a completely independent chapter on conflict and cooperation, these are usually contained within the aggression and helping chapters (which are also included). I also really like the inclusion of the section Thinking Like a Social Psychologist which I believe increases the comprehensiveness of the text. I believe that students will think more completely about the material because of the questions posed to them in this section. They will also be able to make links between course material and life events in a much easier and efficient way. I think this addition is an added bonus to the comprehensiveness!
I believe that the content of the text is accurate. I do not see any glaring misrepresentations of information. However, I would have liked to see more discussion of some of the classical research articles. For example, in the section of Attitude-behavior consistency, there is no discussion of classical articles claiming attitudes do not predict behavior (LaPiere, 1934 or Wicker, 1969). It seems like for certain sections there is a lot of historical context for the research and others are missing it. But this may be my own personal biases (in areas in which I do research and teach and I have more information). Overall, I do believe the text is written in an unbiased and accurate manner.
See above about some of the historical focus - I think this might add a little to the relevance. I also do think that because the text is written in an accurate and unbiased manner, it will stand the test of time. The content will not need to change drastically. However, the examples and current event media stories may become something that needs to be updated relatively regularly. I have found that with each passing year, students have become less and less aware of events that I consider current. Although they have basic knowledge, without additional details of the event, they may not be able to make the necessary connections. In addition, many of the hyperlinks in the text to the sites where these events are discussed may need to be updated. There are already a few (video and story) links that are no longer working. This might create a problem for the students and make the text a little less useful and relevant.
I really like the writing style of the author. The text was easy to follow and it is written at a level most students can understand.
In the preface the author mentions 2 underlying principles of Social (person and situation, and ABCs) and two human motivations (self-concern and other-concern), I really like this idea. I agree with the author that these are very important concepts in social psychology. I did notice while reading most (if not all) the chapters these 4 ideas are mentioned numerous times. I believe that having these consistent topics mentioned in every section of the book will help students make ties across topics that superficially seem like they have nothing in common. This is an innovative way to write a text in social psychology. In addition, I think there is a lot of consistency in the organization of each chapter (see comments for organization below).
I believe that this text is organized similarly to other Introduction to Social Psychology texts when it comes to chapter order and sequence. I do however, like the added information about organization in the preface. Discussing the text as organized by focus at different levels of analysis - individual, social, and group, is an asset, and allows instructors to structure the course at these levels as well. However, other than mentioning this in the preface, there is no other indication that the text is organized in this way. A table of contents or section title page might help readers make this distinction, since many instructors and students do not read the preface of a textbook. Overall, I think the modularity of this text is similar to most texts designed as an introductory text to Social Psychology..
I like that the chapters are similar in structure. Each starts with a media story or current event (although some of these are now dated and may not be relevant to students), which is followed by learning objectives for the section in the chapter. After discussing information and research on the topic of interest, each chapter ends with a section on Thinking like a Social Psychologist (and addition I really like) and then a brief chapter summary. I feel like this consistency is something students will like. It will help them find different types of information very easily once they recognize the structural organization.
There are some issues with the presentation of information. I tried to click on the very first video link in the text (Video Clip 1 on p. 3-4) and it sent me to a youtbe video error. I understand that not all videos on youtube remain for long periods of time, and this is not the fault of the author or publisher, but I wonder who, if anyone, maintains these when you use an open textbook? Are there alternative video formats that could be used.
I did like the ability to hyperlink to relevant figures or tables, this was very useful. However it was confusing to me that hyperlinks and important terms (vocabulary words) are in the same color. I found myself trying to click on vocabulary words through the first two chapters to see if a definition or text box would come up with additional information. I think it would be easier to follow if these two features had different appearances. Perhaps leave the hyperlinks blue (since most people identify those in that color) and make the important terms bold? It would take care of some confusion.
I would also like to see a table of contents page which includes not just chapter titles, but also subsections. That ways students could link off into their assigned reading from the table of contents. I used the bookmarks tool in adobe to do this, but students who are not tech-savy would not know about this, and I would have to spend class time teaching them to use this tool. It would just be easier if there was something there already for them.
I did not notice any grammatical errors or typos. The book seems to be relatively well written and is at a level of language that is easy to understand.
The text is culturally relevant. The pictures and images throughout the text contain people of different races and ethnic backgrounds. In addition, the text discusses research from other cultures and culture differences. The nature of social psychology takes into account social and cultural groups, so this text represents that well.
I do think the book has many strengths, and some weaknesses (as all other textbooks do), but for a free book for students, I think this is pretty good!
This text covers all of the topics covered in the other social psychology texts I have used. (Some topics, such as emotions and happiness, are not presented in their own unique section within this text, as they are in others, but these topics are... read more
This text covers all of the topics covered in the other social psychology texts I have used. (Some topics, such as emotions and happiness, are not presented in their own unique section within this text, as they are in others, but these topics are woven throughout this text in a way that works quite well to present this work and reinforce the connection between social behavior and, for example, emotion/well-being across multiple chapters.)
While there is a useful glossary in this textbook, there is no index. The lack of an index at first struck me as a major limitation to the text given the frequency with which I use the indices in hard-copy textbooks. However, given that this entire book is a searchable document, I found that I was able to quickly locate specific topics and researchers. Perhaps, in an online text like this, an index may not be necessary.
I did not encounter any wholly inaccurate statements in this text. I believe that some statements could be clearer – for example one Key Takeaway on page 247 reads as follows: “People who have extremely negative attributional styles, in which they continually make external, stable, and global attributions for their behavior, are said to be experiencing learned helplessness.” I think it should be clarified that this attributional style is damaging when employed in response to negative events. This clarification is made earlier, on page 245, in the text. But, on its own, the Key Takeaway as currently written seems incomplete.
The text balances classic research and historical examples with a good deal of research that has been published in the last five years and examples related to more recent history and technology. Such recent examples will need to be updated in future editions, but no more so than any other Social Psych text I have seen.
Nearly everything in this text was quite clear. One section I found that struck me as potentially unclear was the description of how quick decisions lead to approach or avoidance on page 164: “Snake = bad ? run away; Blueberries = good ? eat” seemed to me to be missing some descriptors that would make these examples clearer.
I found terminology consistent in the text. One structural aspect of the text that I thought was slightly inconsistent was the use of embedded links:
I really like how every line of the Table of Contents is a link to the appropriate portion of the text. This is very handy, but it was only serendipitously that I discovered these links. In my pdf version, these Contents links were not visually evident as they were in other locations such as the noticeable blue embedded links to videos and Figures within the text – these were great. I also think it would be handy to have links from the in-text citations to the full reference for articles at the end of the text. Finally, some links did not take me where they said they would. For example, in the preface, the links in the Social Psychology in the Public Interest description appear to be directing readers to various chapters within the text, but instead redirected me to a webpage.
The text is broken down into an appropriate number of chapters and subsections, and within each subsection, there are no excessively long blocks of unbroken text.
I think it would be easier for students to search and navigate within the text if chapters were labeled with the word “Chapter” and if the chapter headings were larger and more obvious.
The text was organized quite sensibly and quite similarly to other Social Psychology texts I have taught from (e.g., Baron & Branscombe’s Social Psychology)
I like the “Key Takeaways” sections at the end of each section, I think this provides good repetition for students.
I also like the “Exercises and Critical Thinking” sections – I think these would work well not only for students to undertake on their own, but also for pair-and-share and group discussions in class.
I really like the “Social Psychology in the Public Interest” portions of the text that explain to students how this material applies to relevant and timely topics in their lives (e.g., internet relationships, terrorism, violence prevention).
I found the text’s interface to be user-friendly in many ways: As mentioned previously, I like the imbedded video links, enabling students to just click to access resources as they read. This seems quite likely to increase the number of students who view recommended external resources compared with students reading a hard-copy textbook.
I did think that some interface modifications could increase the usability:
This may simply be an issue of different functionality across various pdf viewing programs and unrelated to the text itself, but I thought it would be nice to allow students to make notes right on the text itself, as in the case of the Twenty Statements Test on page 111.
Some figures were quite small and difficult to read even when the book was viewed at 100% size (e.g., Figures 2.7, 6.13, 8.8). This is one great advantage of online textbooks though, it is possible to enlarge the figures and easily read them when magnified.
Also, I encountered some spacing issues (e.g., page 60: no space between “prefrontal cortexthe part…”; page 169 spacing in Figure 4.3 caption.)
I encountered few grammatical errors, and those that I saw were minor (e.g., the word “are” is missing in Exercise 3 on page 504; the word “them” should be “they” in the final Key Takeaway on page 522).
I was, however, a bit distracted by the formatting within the References sections:
Reference formatting appears to follow APA style, other than indentation – which is different (left-justified) for first publication on most (but not all – see pages 198, 284) lists than for all subsequent publications (e.g., pages 26-28).
I found the text to be inclusive of research relevant across cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, age, and other groups. I liked that some of the critical thinking prompts asked students to reflect on issues of culture and their role both in the students’ own lives and in society (e.g., “Imagine you are a teacher in a classroom and you see that some children [are] expressing prejudice or discrimination toward other children on the basis of their race. What techniques would you use to attempt to reduce these negative behaviors?”)
After reviewing this text, I have found it to be comparable to the textbooks I have assigned to my Social Psychology students in previous semesters. I plan to adopt this open text for my own courses and will recommend it to colleagues.
I compared "Introduction to Social Psychology" openstax college TM to three exemplar textbooks that I had previously taught from. Those texts were: Robert S. Feldman (2001), Social Psychology 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall New Jersey ISBN: 0 – 13 -... read more
I compared "Introduction to Social Psychology" openstax college TM to three exemplar textbooks that I had previously taught from. Those texts were: Robert S. Feldman (2001), Social Psychology 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall New Jersey ISBN: 0 – 13 - 027479 - 8 Alcock, J.E., Carment, D.W. & Sadava, S.W., (2005), A Textbook of Social Psychology, 6th Edition, Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, ISBN 0 - 13 – 121741 - 0 Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D., Fehr, B. & Akert, R.M., (2013), Social Psychology, 5th Canadian Edition, Pearson Canada Inc., ISBN 978 - 0- 13 - 216539 - 6 In the 11 commentaries, I have compared the current textbook to the 3 exemplars. It is upon these comparisons that I base my comments. Chris Montoya BC Open Textbooks Review Criteria for the Saylor Textbook: Introduction to Social Psychology. Of some interest is the fact that the creator's name was withheld on request. 1. Comprehensiveness - The text covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately and provides an effective index and/or glossary. Compared to the other three textbooks on social psychology that I used as templates I have concluded that the Saylor textbook covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately. However, and disturbingly, there is no real chapter index, author index with page numbers, or glossary of terms. As an educator I find this most distracting. In my younger days as a student I would run to a chapter table of contents, author index, or glossary of terms at the end of the book. It was always most helpful when the terms were associated with an exact definition, and appropriate page numbers. Often times in the text certain terms are not defined in all areas. Having a glossary really helps. Not having an excellent Subject Index in a textbook or an adequate Chapter Index (Table of Contents) I feel is a great hindrance and deficiency in the current text that I am reviewing. All three of the other exemplar texts have excellent subject indexes. As an instructor I would not use a text that lacked these essential features. I realize that this is an open online text and students can type in words they are unfamiliar with, however, it is the very fact that they are unfamiliar with these terms that concerns me. Whereas I have no problem navigating the nomological pitfalls I feel that the author is assuming a basic level of understanding that the majority of second and third year university students do not have.
2. Content Accuracy – Content, including diagrams and other supplementary material, is accurate, error-free and unbiased. The content is accurate and compelling. The author writes in an unbiased, objective, and persuasive scientific manner. The diagrams, however, are simplistic, flat, and lack color. In the exemplar texts there were an average of three colors per page. In the current text there were two. In addition, the earth tones used made the reading of what should have been interesting material bland. I find it interesting that in a social psychology textbook there are no actual photographs of people interacting. These types of actual color photographs add dimension, depth, and engage the hearts of the students. In the three other textbooks there are photographs of people interacting in all manner of social, political, emotional, and business etc. environments. By not having actual photographs of people I find that the book comes across as less interesting than its content would otherwise suggest. In addition, the author uses italicized words to highlight I find the addition of bold words embedded in the paragraphs or color words in the margins (as in the other three texts) really highlights important concepts. In general, having taught face-to-face, blended, synchronous, asynchronous, print, web, and online courses, I find that certain excellent features in standard Hard Copy Textbooks also NEED to be incorporated in online copies.
3. Relevance/Longevity – Content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the text obsolete within a short period of time. The text is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement. I am assuming that the text has a publication date of 2013. The three other exemplar texts had references dating to within two years of their publication dates. In addition, all texts had discussed papers that were currently in press. Therefore the contents of the textbook are current and up-to-date. The text is also written in a style that will last. We see further because we stand on the shoulders of giants. This well-known quote applies to all well-written textbooks. As such, for the current textbook, necessary updates will be easy and straightforward to implement.
4. Clarity - The text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used. The current text is easy to follow, easy to comprehend, and is not overly burdened with jargon or dry statistics. The text, therefore, is clear, and what profs call in the area an easy read. One point: The author seems to write in an older style for instance the definition of self-concept on page 167: "The self-concept is a knowledge representation that contains knowledge about us, including our beliefs about our personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles as well as the knowledge that we exist as individuals." Compared to the 2013 Social Psychology Comparison Text definition: "The contents of the self; that is, our knowledge about who we are." This simple definition appears to the side of the prose in the textbook page 124 highlighted in Bold Large Print Orange & also appears in a most excellent glossary of terms page 498. The text in the rest of the page fleshes out further meaning.
Yes
Yes
Yes
8. Interface – The text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader. I don't want to go into too much detail, however, and for example there are minor irritations in the text that concern me. For example in a finished text subheadings should not appear at the bottom of the page with no text below them. On page 66, the subheading: How Schemas Maintain Themselves... is so positioned. In addition, on page 67 under the heading research focus concerning confirmation bias, the author refers to a figure without stating the figure number. He's talking about figure 2.1 but simply says you can see in the following figure. When writing textbooks, or book chapters, or international peer-reviewed journal articles, the interface between what is written and the graphs provided is indeed critical. This pattern of not referring to graphs, charts, and tables continues throughout the textbook.
9. Grammatical Errors – The text contains no grammatical errors. None that I found, although I do not tend to spend too much time looking for grammar errors. I speed read and scan, when I did start looking … On page 629 Theblack Sheep Effect … The and black were run together… again I am sure that you have grammar editors for such mundane tasks.
10. Cultural Relevance – The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It should make use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. I am not sure… In Canada we tend not to use the terms Whites and Blacks on page 94 the author uses the following sentence: White, Black, and Hispanic or Mexican-American… The author continues using the White and Black references on the following pages, 614 616 622 628 629.., and more... In addition, we tend not to use the word Indian in Canadian literature but prefer First Nations. Starting on page 315 there are five references to "Indian" that I found. Other than these two questionable areas I found the text to be well rounded and non-offensive.
11. Are there any other comments you would like to make about this book, for example, its appropriateness in a Canadian context or specific updates you think need to be made? ... personal preference bonobo monkeys... I refer to these in my lecturers because they make love not war. The 2013 Social Psychology comparison text makes mention : )the current text does not. I find this text appropriate for 4th year University Students although I would not use it for the above listed reasons. I hope this review is useful to your work.
This review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.
The textbook is very through regarding all areas and ideas of the subject. Further, the author presents a clear pedagogical framework: the text applies cognitive load theory, moving, as the writer tells us in the Preface that it will be,... read more
The textbook is very through regarding all areas and ideas of the subject. Further, the author presents a clear pedagogical framework: the text applies cognitive load theory, moving, as the writer tells us in the Preface that it will be, "systematically from lower to higher levels of analysis" (p. 3), which, as instructional developers and students, we know is a method that works in acquiring new information and knowledge. The writer is well grounded and has a specific focus in the subject through years of teaching and provides many supportive resources, such as real-life examples, video clips, topic summaries, and exercises, and external website URLs, to name a few. However, there is no index, nor is there a glossary. It would be useful, given the amount of terminology in this textbook, to have two sets of glossaries per chapter. One set would appear after the Key Takeaways section (which appears at the end of each topic) and could be called Key Terms, and the other set would be a Chapter Terms section at the end of the chapter, appearing directly after the Chapter Summary. Further, there would be a glossary at the end of the textbook, with page references. These terms would also be included in the index. In the Exercises and Critical Thinking sections, students are asked to define terminology, but because there is no glossary or answer key to the exercises, there is no place for students to compare their definitions with those of the author.
Content appears to be mostly accurate and error-free. Reference lists are consistently and accurately formatted according to APA Style (6th ed.), as are in-text citations—kudos! I checked most of them and found very few, minor errors, other than the spacing issue that I will explain later in this review. There were some errors: for example, Hans Selye's surname was incorrectly spelled as "Seyle" five times (on pp. 125, 126, and 128). Also, check the Rosenberg Scale on p. 182; I think it should say "average number on non-reverse items on the scale is 3 out of 4." Also, I am fairly certain that no explanation was attached to the Research Focus sections. From the examples used throughout, I detected a certain amount of bias. The target audience for the textbook itself (not including the Preface) seems to be limited to young, North American, college students. It might be appropriate, given the subject matter, to include a more diverse audience base, such as students from other cultures and in a range of age groups. Also, there is a bias toward a positive thinking approach; there is no mention of cognitive behavioural therapy or other approaches used in psychotherapy. Holmes and Rahe's stress scale is only one approach; others are not mentioned.
Many real-life illustrative sections (used to illustrate a concept, such as the concept of self) are provided throughout the textbook, generally at the beginning of a chapter or section. Both students and instructors can quickly find and tap into these for in-classroom or self-study. These will have to be updated periodically, although some can remain (not be replaced/swapped out). For example, the Dancing Matt Harding reference is already outdated, since Harding has released more videos since 2008. Further, it might be a good idea to use physical separation (in addition to, or perhaps instead of, the use of italic font) between the example material and the textbook commentary, particularly if any third-party material is used. Suggestion: set out some of these illustrative sections as case studies (maybe one case study per chapter) followed later in the topic by exercises and reflective questions that refer back to the case studies.
The writing is lucid and accessible, although paragraphs tend to be on the long side. They could be broken up as appropriate and more expositive subheadings could be introduced to help chunk the content (something an editor could help with). Italic font is used for several purposes: (1) for the illustrative real-life examples of concepts, (2) sometimes for key terms, and (3) for in-text definitions of these key terms. Definitions are sometimes italicized, but additional non-essential words are included (see p. 126 for an example). The Preface should include an explanation of any such font choice and the first chapter should include a reminder of what the author has decided to do in this regard and then apply the choice consistently. Context for jargon and/or technical terminology is provided, particularly by way of the illustrative examples mentioned earlier and in the self-assessment quizzes (such as the true or false quiz on p. 32).
The framework could benefit from minor changes. Font colour, when referring to a table or figure in text, could be matched when referring to the captions. In the interest of visual consistency, I recommend that the same colour be used for both the caption
The text is currently chunked into numbered topics. This is helpful to instructors who, when designing learning activities that include readings from this textbook, can refer to topic readings by number, and to students, who want to refer back to those topics. The numbering also enables reorganization/realignment of material, especially in a course that may be presented in a non-linear fashion, and it creates a sense of progression through the material. However, as mentioned in the previous section, there are large blocks of unbroken text. More subheadings are needed. Also, providing a mini-table of contents at the start of each chapter could serve as an advance organizer, a heads-up to all readers regarding what to expect in that chapter. One way to organize this in each chapter is to have the mini TOC I have suggested including, then the Learning Objectives and the real-life illustrative example for that chapter.
Information throughout is laddered appropriately, in alignment with the author's statement in the Preface about the systematic ordering of the information. The structure of the textbook and the complexity of the ideas presented builds; the commentary is flowing and easy to understand. Even more clarity and organization could be provided by using a "roadmap" at the beginning of the textbook and at the start of each chapter to visually layout the topics and concepts covered. I would prefer to give a 4.5 in this section rather than a perfect 5, because this roadmap/visual index could really enhance the organization of the book and make its framework obvious.
There are many areas throughout the entire textbook where the space between words has been omitted (I counted around 89 in the first chapter alone); this is the spacing problem I mentioned earlier when talking about the APA citations and the job well done on those. Subheadings need to stand out from body text (see, for example, p. 93). Captions are sometimes inconsistently titled, and these need to be consistent throughout so as to avoid any confusion for readers. Also, it's preferable not to use quotation marks around in-text references to table or figure titles. Number Key Takeaways sections to match the topic number—this would aid readers when searching for materials (especially when reading the textbook online). Number and caption ALL images/diagrams/figures/tables (example: pp. 65, 72 images have no captions). Include the figure number and title with the caption itself instead of separating it; otherwise, the caption could be confused with the body text (the commentary).
There are minor grammatical errors (for example, on p. 50, use "a(n") in diagram.
I have also mentioned in my answer to an earlier question my impression about the apparent target audience for this textbook. Again, it feels as if, from the examples used and places mentioned when discussing a concept, that the intended audience members are predominantly North American (and possibly of European extraction), have English as a first language, are familiar with dorms and fraternities, and are young. This could also be because much of the research referred to is of North American origin. Halloween is mentioned (p. 174), as is Christmas (p. 130), but many students will not be familiar, especially not first hand, with those cultural or religious traditions. I may, however, be sensitive to this type of bias because I work at a university with many international students, and I do acknowledge that the subject of social psychology is based on North American and European research. But what do researchers in other parts of the world have to say about social psychology? Also, I assume by the places referred to (such as "Seattle," "dorms"), the spelling (American, as opposed to Canadian or British), and other Americanisms that this textbook is US-centric, which is fine, but could pose a problem if taught in Canadian universities. Both students and instructors would expect a Canadian textbook and attach more credibility to it than to an American one, which is why there are often Canadian editions of course textbooks (at least, that's what we use predominantly in the university where I work). Illustrative examples need to be more globally focused, too.
Provide answer keys and/or sample answers for the exercises included in the textbook. Include a glossary and index. Consider the cultural, social, environmental, and national context in which this textbook might be used. Use more informative and engaging diagrams. Update all real-life examples. Fix the spacing issues. Break up long paragraphs and use more subheadings. Use mini TOCs at the start of each chapter. Strong points are the extensive and wonderfully APA-formatted references, the comprehensiveness of the material, and the engaging and empathic writing style.
This review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.
On the whole, this text covers all of the topics one would expect to see within a social psychology textbook. However, the author has made some interesting choices that reflect his pedagogical goals and biases. For example, instead of including... read more
On the whole, this text covers all of the topics one would expect to see within a social psychology textbook. However, the author has made some interesting choices that reflect his pedagogical goals and biases. For example, instead of including separate applications of social psychological principles in separate modules at the end of the text (what has become a common approach in the field), he has instead integrated applications (e.g., for health, law, the environment, clinical settings, etc.) within the chapters. On the one hand this is a good idea and allows students to see some possible applications of concepts as they learn them. On the other hand it results in chapters running a bit long and students encountering additional terms and information before they have had a chance to master the basics. The text includes some good pedagogical features, including learning objectives embedded within each module within each chapter, useful exercises at the end of each module, and a section within each chapter on social psychology in the public interest (applications of social psychological principles). For the most part the organization of chapters follows a fairly standard template starting with methods and going on to social cognition, the self, attitudes, social influence, attraction, prosocial behaviour, aggression, groups, and prejudice. However, an early focus on social learning (Chapter 2) and social affect (Chapter 3) is unusual in its prominence (most social psychology textbooks do not include a separate chapter on social affect). The text does not include a table of contents or an index, both of which are highly desirable.
I did not encounter any obvious errors or problems with the accuracy of the content. Strangor supplies a (sometimes long) list of references at the end of each module within each chapter, which is helpful. Note: The text makes occasional reference to video clips (e.g., See Video Clip 1) that are not available to the reader.
Strangor balances the introduction of classic and contemporary research within each chapter. Given the hierarchical organization of the text (learning objectives within modules within chapters) updates could target specific topic areas. One quibble: Many of the examples provided are fairly outdated (e.g., a 1997 mass suicide, President Bush's approval ratings in 2001, etc.).
The text is written accessibly. Learning objectives and chapter summaries further assist comprehension.
The text is internally consistent. Strangor follows the same pattern in every chapter which makes for a predictable and manageable format. His stated goal was to work from simpler to more complex topics and he makes an effort to build on the information p
The text is well organized into chapters and modules within each chapter. Each module includes useful exercises that help consolidate learning.
For the most part the organization of chapters follows a fairly standard template starting with methods and going on to social cognition, the self, attitudes, social influence, attraction, prosocial behaviour, aggression, groups, and prejudice. However, an early focus on social learning (Chapter 2) and especially social affect (Chapter 3) is unusual in its prominence (most social psychology textbooks do not include a separate chapter on social affect). There are also sub-topics within the text that appear to borrow heavily in content and tone from traditional chapters in an introductory psychology text (e.g., operant conditioning, eyewitness memory, Selye's general adaptation syndrome, etc.). Given that Strangor has also authored an open introductory psychology text this is likely not a coincidence.
The charts and illustrations are clear. However, there are several oddly formatted graphs (e.g., page 256, 347, etc.) in which the bars are inexplicably clustered together towards the left end of the x-axis. Directions to view non-existent video clips should be omitted.
I did not encounter any grammatical errors but the text does need proof-reading. For example, occasionally there are sets of words printed together with no space in between.
I did not come across anything I would consider insensitive or offensive. However, as far as cultural relevance is concerned, this text is a US edition and the examples (e.g., "How the Obama campaign effectively used persuasion to defeat John McCain") and statistics used throughout the text strongly reflect this. Some of the examples (e.g., George Bush's approval ratings in 2001) are also a bit dated, even for a US text. A second year university student in 2013 would have been 7 years old in 2001.
This text needs significant updates to the real life examples used for their relevance within a Canadian context.
This review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.
Charles Stangor, author, frames the text around the two human motivations of self-concern and other-concern then uses this frame to focus discussions on a variety of individual and social dimensions including altruism, aggression, prejudice,... read more
Charles Stangor, author, frames the text around the two human motivations of self-concern and other-concern then uses this frame to focus discussions on a variety of individual and social dimensions including altruism, aggression, prejudice, gender differences, and cultural differences, etc. Grounding the text in the fundamental principles helps to anchor the reader in the two key concepts of social pscyh throughout their learning/reading experience which then ensures the learner consistently looks through the lens of a social psychologist, and then links their learning back to these fundamental premises. Such an approach is comprehensive yet cohesive. Providing a conceptual anchor enables the reader to diverge into multiple related concepts and contexts more freely because s/he always has a home base or reference point.
Stangor's examples tend to be 'negative', primarily focused on negative behaviours or influences as opposed to the positive i.e. the ways people harm each other as opposed to help. Even the introduction describes a mass suicide. Examples tend to be shock oriented, perhaps indicative of the bias that undergrads have short attention spans. A broader range of examples and affect is encouraged. In terms of accuracy, the text is well supported, cited, and explained. It appears to be error free.
Stangor is careful to provide a range of citations and references dating back to the earliest cases or theories and including the most recent commentary or developments. In this way, he illustrates the evolution of social psychology and also suggests that it is a social science under continuous development. Such an approach leaves the text open to updates while communicating the idea that a body of research is to under constant evolution and open to continuous contribution and challenge. Stangor also accomplishes the task of illustrating that concepts have originators or major theorists who shall not be discounted or considered obsolete simply because of the date beside their name but that they play a significant role in the development of a construct or insight. The text's effective use of headings enables an editor to focus on a specific area or areas for updating. The references are linked and collated, and therefore easy to expand and update. The simple and repetitive structure is comforting to the reader yet each section is complex and multifaceted enough to provide interest. At the same time, the clear structure provides editors with an easy means to update sections by providing a pattern of components to cycle through.
This text is simply organized and clearly structured providing a rhythmic organizational 'pattern' which enables easy reading and access for the student. Opening with 'Learning Objectives' and ending with 'Key Takeaways' and 'Critical Thinking Exercises' gives the text a pedagogical cohesion and focus while providing the reader with short overviews of each chapter. Some of the allusions are dated i.e. 'be a pepper!' and in order to captivate the undergrad audience, it would be important to ensure that these references are current. The Critical Thinking questions and exercises are rather simplistic and limiting asking yes/no questions at times, and suggesting rather uninspiring and one-dimensional activities i.e. read about...and compose a short report... create a presentation that summarizes. More of this kind of activity are suggested: 'Based on our discussion of resistance to persuasion, what techniques would you use to help a child resist the pressure to start smoking or using recreational drugs?' Video clips, websites, figures and links are interwoven throughout the text for interest and extension. In the Public Interest sections are relevant, applied and purposefully constructed. Easy updating possible. Chapter summaries appreciated by the reader and illustrate an effective summary section that not only highlights the key points of a chapter, but discusses the wider social and human implications for these concepts.
The internal consistency is a key strength of this text. As mentioned earlier, the structure of the book is cyclical and repetitive while sustaining complexity, interest, and variation. The structure includes multiple components, but these are repeated in
While Stangor presents a sensible ordering of concepts in his layout, he also leaves the instructor the freedom to re-order or select specific sections as standalone chapters or sub chapters. This characteristic also makes the text relevant to other contexts, courses, and disciplines. As an interdisciplinary field, Social Psych has relevance to many subject areas such as business, health, law, communication, and education. I imagine an instructor in business management feeling free to assign chapters 11 and/or 12 to illustrate the social psychological underpinnings of the organization or to explore the role of diversity and interculturalism within the workplace.
Stangor has organized the topics from lower to higher levels of analysis which provides a general enough flow without constraining the instructor to a complex obscurely linked or too intricate organizational framework. The flow of the individual chapters is also coherent. The framework for each chapter is captured in the learning objectives and introductory paragraph for ease of reading and access. The reasoning or relationships governing the organizational framework of the chapter are also described in the introductory framework. One could of course argue with Stangor's frameworks; however, this in itself may provide fodder for an engaging discussion in the class.
The figures and charts are all clear, colourful, simple, linked and well supported and/or referenced.
There appear to be no grammatical errors.
The intercultural sensitivity and awareness illustrated within this text is one of its strengths. Topics, references, issues, references, and examples are from a diverse spectrum but also attend to particular issues of diversity or interculturalism in an insightful, modern, and relevant manner. Chapter 12 of course addresses the issue of 'Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination' directly, but interculturalism is a thread woven into all of the chapters and sections. One weakness of the text is the simplistic nature of its conceptualization of 'culture' as something that is bound by national boundaries alone. Throughout the text, culture is described in terms of national or hemispheric characteristics i.e. individualistic and collectivistic, Western and East Asian. This reviewer would argue for a more sophisticated worldview and discussion of culture as extending to values, beliefs and assumptions as determined by myriad factors including but not limited to race or geography; cultural factors also include education, heritage, economics, experience, employment, history, social influencers, etc.
This book has mostly American references i.e. Obama, advertisements, cultural norms, educational systems, news stories. Canada is mentioned only 7 times compared to America/n which is mentioned 133.
This review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Introducing Social Psychology
- Chapter 2: Social Learning and Social Cognition
- Chapter 3: Social Affect
- Chapter 4: The Self
- Chapter 5: Attitudes, Behavior, and Persuasion
- Chapter 6: Perceiving Others
- Chapter 7: Influencing and Conforming
- Chapter 8: Liking and Loving
- Chapter 9: Helping and Altruism
- Chapter 10: Aggression
- Chapter 11: Working Groups: Performance and Decision Making
- Chapter 12: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
- Chapter 13: Competition and Cooperation in Our Social Worlds
Ancillary Material
About the Book
Have you ever had trouble teaching the various topics of social psychology and fitting them together to form a coherent field? Unnamed Author felt like he was presenting a laundry list of ideas, research studies, and phenomena, rather than an integrated set of principles and knowledge. He wondered how his students could be expected to remember and understand the many phenomena that social psychologists study? How could they tell what was most important? It was then that he realized a fresh approach to a Social Psychology textbook was needed to structure and integrate student learning; thus, Principles of Social Psychology was born. This textbook is based on a critical thinking approach, and its aim is to get students thinking actively and conceptually – with a greater focus on the forest than the trees. Yes, there are right and wrong answers, but the answers are not the only thing. What is perhaps even more important is how students get to the answers – the thinking process itself. To help students better grasp the big picture of social psychology, and to provide you with a theme that you can use to organize your lectures, Unnamed Author's text has a consistent pedagogy across the chapters. The presentation is organized around two underlying principles that are essential to social psychology:
Person and Situation (the classic treatment)
The ABCs of social psychology (Affect, Behavior, and Cognition)
The author believes these dimensions are fundamental, that they are extremely heuristic, and that they are what he hopes your students (and his) will learn and remember. You may find that this organization represents a more explicit representation of what you're already doing in your lectures. Although the pedagogy is consistent, it is not constraining. You can and will use these dimensions more in some lectures than in others, and you will find them more useful for some topics than others. But they will always work for you when you are ready for them.
Perhaps most important, a focus on these dimensions helps us bridge the gap between the textbook, the real-life experiences of our students, and our class presentations. It is almost impossible to can't cover every phenomenon in your lectures – you can naturally let the textbook fill in the details. The goal of Principles of Social Psychology is to allow you to rest assured that the text has provided your students with the foundations– the fundamental language of social psychology – from which you can build as you see fit. And when you turn to ask students to apply their learning to real life, you can know that they will be doing this as social psychologists do – using a basic underlying framework.
A note about the organization of this text: it moves systematically from lower to higher levels of analysis – a method that makes sense to students. On the other hand, Unnamed Author insists, the chapter order should not constrain you – choose a different order if you wish. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to social psychology and the research methods in social psychology, Chapter 2 presents the fundamental principles of social cognition, and Chapter 3 focuses on social affect. The remainder of the text is organized around three levels of analysis, moving systematically from the individual level (Chapters 4-6), to the level of social interaction (Chapters 7-10) to the group and cultural level (Chapters 11-13).
Rather than relying on “modules” or “appendices” of applied materials, this text integrates applied concepts into the text itself. This approach is consistent with the underlying theme that if students learn to think like social psychologists they will easily and naturally apply that knowledge to any and all applications. The following applications are woven throughout the text:
- Business and Consumer behavior
- Environment
- Health
- Law
It is the "thinking like a social psychologist" theme, structured approach and new pedagogy (like research foci and Social Psychology in the Public Interest), that will make teaching and learning Social Psychology from this textbook an even more exciting and rewarding endeavor.